Liquid agitating and siphon break apparatus



Patented May 6, 1941 LIQUID AG'rrArmG AND slrnoN BREAK Y APPARATUS Ernest W. Work, New Britain, Conn., assignor to The Beaton & Qadwell Manufacturing Company, New Britain, Conn., acorporation of Connecticut Application Mai-cn 4, 1939, semi No. 259.2371 a claims. (or asn-'m l' device taken on the line I-I of Fig, 2 looking- This inventlon relates to agitation, and more particularly to an apparatus for introducing a mixture of water and air into the bottom of an open tank for agitating the liquid therein, said apparatus also serving to avoid the possibility of a vacuum occurring in the water supply pipe, and thus preventl back siphonage ofliquid from said open tank. 1

Open wash tanks, such as are used for cleaning electroplated articles or clothes in a laundry, generally have a continuous supply of water fed at the bottom of the tank, the water overowing at the top thereof. Since the upward flow of the water provides only a small amount of circulation, the water in the tank does not ordinarily become thoroughly agitated. Moreover, in view of possible back siphonage of the contaminated wash water into the supply line in case of a vacuum occurring in the latter, health authori.-

ties in. manyStates have prohibited the use of feed pipes disposed at the bottom ofwash tanks of this nature.

l By means of the present invention, an apparatus has been provided for feeding water into the bottom of a Wash tank in which vthe possibility of liquid being siphoned back into the supply line has been obviated and at the same time the liquid in the wash tank is thoroughly agitated. The apparatus of this invention includes a device adapted to draw air from the atmosphere and mix it with the water being fed to the tank, thus acting simultaneously as an agitator and a siphon break.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved liquid agitating and siphon breaking apparatus for open tanks which will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very eflicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, there has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing one form'in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a verticalsectional view, on a reduced scale, of an open tank having the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on a larger scale of the Venturi air-aspirating and vacuum downwardly.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral I0 denotes a tank open at its top and containing a cleaning-or wash liquid Il, such as water, which is adapted to be used as a bath for electro-plated articles, or for laundry purposes. Water from a supply line I2 is adapted to be fed through a control valve I3, a short nipple' Il, a combined air aspirating and vacuum breaking Venturi device I5, an elongated vertical mixing pipe I6, and a horizontal length of pipe I1 located on the bottom of the tank I0. The pipe I1 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart apertures I8 in its upper surface through which the air and water mixture, which has been thoroughly churned and commingled in the mixing pipe I6, passes upwardly into the tank Illthe end of the pipe I1 being closed by a cap I9. An overflow notch or weir 20 is provided in the upper edge of the tank I0.

The Venturi device I5 is made in`the formo! a union formed from hexagonal stock, and is internally screw threaded at its upper and lower ends 2l and 22 to receive the lower wend of the short nipple I l and the upper end of the elongated vertical pipe I6, respectively. The Venturi device I5 is provided intermediate its ends 2| and 22 with a restricted passage 23 at the center of the bore 24, said bore comprising a pair of oppositely directed upper and lower flared conical por-` tions 25 and 26, respectively.

An annular groove`21, preferably of V-shaped cross-section, is formed in the outer periphery of l the Venturi aspirating device I5 slightly above the.

breaking device adapted to be installed in the liquid feed line.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the Venturi device shown in Fig. 2 looking upwardly.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the Venturi level of the restricted passage 23, said groove including a lower inclined surface or annular shoulder 28. converging cylindrical air inlet ports 29 lead inwardly-from the shoulder 28, and open at their lower ends into the lower flared section 2B of the bore 24 at points just below the restricted passage 23.

'Operdtion When the apparatus is in operation, the air drawn in by suction through the converging Flirts 29 due to the passage of the stream of water down through the bore 24 of the Venturi device l5 will be thoroughly commingled with said water and, when it reaches the bottom ofthe tank, will pass upwardly through the outlet holes I8 in the top of the horizontaLpipe I1. The turbulent action ofthe air and water in the elongated mixing pipe A splurality of downwardly extending I I causes the air to be suspended in the waterin the form of bubbles I0 which are adapted to-rise rapidly through the water I I in the tank I0, thoroughly agitating it, and resulting in a bettercleaning or rinsing of the plated or laundered Iarticles (not shown) contained in thetank I0.

Any sediment or solid particles in the tank will 4thus be suspended in the liquid and will pass out of the tank through the overow notch 20, instead of accumulating in the bottom of said tank.

-'Ii a vacuum should accidentally occur in the supply line above the device I5, which might have a tendency to cause contaminated liquid I i from the tank l to be sucked back into the Y supply line, this vacuum will be efficiently dedevice I5 through advocated by the Connecticut State Board of Health, and installations thereof havel already been made in various localities in Connecticut.

It will also be understood that the present invention may be applied for aerating purposes, such as aquaria; sewage tanks, or swimming pools within its general principles and scope.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the-invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all the modii'lcations and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims. Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as newand for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for agitating an aqueous lcleaning liquid provided with a tank having an overflow at the top thereof for containing said liquid, and a pipe connected with a water'supply line for feeding water to said tank, characterized by having an apertured Venturi aspirator in said pipe above said overflow for drawing air from the atmosphere and commingling it 4with the water iiowing in said feed pipe, and

threaded sections of said pipe in which it is included, and having a restricted double-conical bore provided with a plurality of upwardly inclined air-inlet passages connected to said bore below said restricted section.

2. In an apparatus for agitating an aqueous cleaning liquid provided with a tank having an overow at the top thereof for containing said liquid, and a pipe connected with a water supplyline for feeding Water to said tank, characterized by having an apertured Venturi aspirator in said pipe above said overow for drawing air from the atmosphere and commingling it /with the water flowing in said feed pipe, and

means to deliv'yer the air and water mixture from said feed pipe into said cleaning liquid adjacent the' .bottom of said tankto thoroughly agitate the liquid and cause solid particles to become suspended therein and bedrawn off at saidV overflow and thus prevent said particles from accumulating in the bottom of said tank, said aspirator preventing the possibility of accidental back-siphonage of the cleaning liquid from said tank to said water supply line, said aspirator comprising a union internally threaded at both ends for connection with adjoining externally threaded sections of said pipe in which it is included, and having a restricted double-conical bore provided with a plurality of upwardly inclined air-inlet passages connected to said bore below said restricted section, said aspirator having an exterior annular groove intermediate its ends, and a plurality of air-inlet passages passing through the wall of said aspirator and having their outer ends opening to the atmosphere in said groove.

ERNEST W. WORK. 

